Our God is With Us

I should begin with an update. Harrison is feeling well. Still eating everything in sight. In fact, he came into my room just after 5:00 this morning asking for Krispy Kreme donuts. He even had his order ready. After putting him off for a bit, I got up and took him to get the melt-in-your-mouth delights. He had eight of them.

The medicine is going well, though he continues to loath taking it. We’re all getting better; me more patient and him more compliant.

Harrison continues to have a great attitude, both about the disease and its inconveniences. But school is out, so no one is going. Once his classmates return, presumably without him, and he has to spend time in the hospital, he’ll need an added dose of encouragement I am sure. He’s still such a blessing as a kid, just as he has always been.

Dr. Weston called again yesterday to make sure the pharmacist was filling the prednisone order properly. Apparently, he’s worried that the treatment is not working as well as it should. Of course, he told us that it was his job to worry, not ours. Yeah, right.

Last night when I couldn’t sleep I kept thinking about something Harrison said several years ago after an older neighbor cracked him over the head with a stick: “Bad things always happen to me.”

None of us every imagined that “bad thing” would one day be cancer.

As I considered his innocent and heart-felt statement I was reminded of Psalm 73. The author cries, “I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” That captured my attitude. But the Psalm ends with a wonderful announcement: “For me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your good works.”

At Christmas we recall the announcement of the birth of Immanuel, which means our God is with us. Our family rejoices in the arrival of Jesus Christ our Savior every year. But this year, the promise that Jesus is “God with Us” is even sweeter than before.

My prayer is that by God’s work in the life of my son and our family we may tell of the good works of our great God. We want both to enjoy God’s favor and proclaim his favor.

Ashley and I are following and so glad to hear Harrison is feeling well. I had a thought yesterday as Ashley was skyping with a friend from New Jersey. If Harrison can’t physically be in class but is well enough to do it why not see if NRCA will let him do some skyping. Ashley does it for several hours at a time with her friend in NJ. They have play dates that way from afar. It only requires a laptop with a 20 dollar skype thing from best buy. Maybe that would help him still be part of the class in part while he can’t physically be present. Just a thought!! And Dr. Mckinion as I follow along on this blog I think I have a title for your next book, Using your faith to deal with acute illness in a child:Harrisons Families Story!